Paycheck protection and pension transparency on track for final passage this weekend

Legislation giving workers the choice to have union dues removed from their checks and disclosing pension information of legislators passed House committees Friday, paving the way for the bills to become law this weekend.

Paycheck protection (Senate Bill 6) passed out of the House Economic Development and Workforce Investment Committee Friday afternoon with a party line vote. A partner issue to right-to-work, the paycheck protection bill would require workers to “opt in” to having union dues withheld from their paychecks rather than the current practice that holds a worker must act to opt out of having an employer withhold their dues.

And Senate Bill 3, which deals with the disclosure of legislator pension information, was passed in the House State Government Committee with only one no vote. Senate Bill 3 bill would make former and current legislators’ retirement benefits information subject to open records requests

The passage of both bills puts them on track to receive a vote on the House floor on Saturday and then be placed on the governor’s desk as early as that day.

Both chambers plan to convene Saturday with the Senate going in at 9 and House at 10 a.m. where they will take floor votes.